November 26, 1987 Earthquake: Pantar, Mount Sirung, Timor, Indonesia
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Pantar, Mount Sirung, Timor, Indonesia on November 26, 1987 at 01:43:14 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 125 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- November 26, 1987
- Time
- 01:43:14 UTC
- Place
- Pantar, Mount Sirung, Timor, Indonesia
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Volcano
- The eruption it came with
- Epicenter
- 8.247° S, 124.155° E
- Country
- Indonesia
The toll
- Deaths
- 125
- Injuries
- 108
- Damage
- $5 million
- Houses destroyed
- 237
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
At least 37 people killed, 108 injured and 237 buildings damaged on Pantar Island. Landslides also occurred on the island. Mount Sirung started erupting on December 2. (Reference #1053)
Reference #1250 lists 125 deaths, $5 million dollars damage.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 18, 1896, Alor Island, Timor, Indonesia
- November 11, 2004, Kepulauan Alor, Indonesia
- July 4, 1991, Kalabahi, Dili, Timor, Indonesia
- December 25, 1982, Eastern, Flores Island, Indonesia
- May 14, 1995, Timor, Dili, Maliana, Maubara, Indonesia
- March 22, 1944, Flores, Indonesia
- November 4, 2015, Alor, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
- October 5, 1891, Timor Sea, Indonesia
- July 14, 1989, Alor, Timor, Indonesia
- April 23, 2004, Kupang, Timor, Indonesia
- July 18, 2005, Timor Tengah Utara, Timor, Indonesia
More
Significant earthquakes of 1987The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1987Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5150.